The Buzz 04.24.25

FREE SPEECH

Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Times who’s been accused of currying favor with President Donald Trump, is working to get more right-wing voices into the newspaper by using artificial intelligence. In March, the Times debuted “Insights,” which not only judges an opinion piece on its political bias, but also offers an AI-generated opposing viewpoint. The move quickly generated backlash, with the AI in one early instance appearing to defend the Ku Klux Klan by referring to the white supremacist group as “‘white Protestant culture’ responding to societal changes rather than an explicitly hate-driven movement.” The comments have since been removed. In an interview with Fox News, Soon-Shiong, who blocked the Times from endorsing Kamala Harris for president, said he wanted to overhaul the editorial board. “If you just have the one side, it’s just going to be an echo chamber,” he said. Three of the six people who wrote editorials have resigned since the fall.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“The structural deterioration worsens with each passing storm.” - From a report by the Monterey County Civil Grand Jury, released April 18, outlining the repairs needed for the City of Monterey’s two wharves. A 2024 estimate from the city showed at least $17 million would be needed for two years (see story, montereycountynow.com)

GOOD WEEK / GREAT WEEK

GOOD:

Embark on another colorful journey with Alka Joshi of Pacific Grove. The New York Times best-selling author is celebrating the release of her fourth novel, Six Days in Bombay. Inspired by the story of free-spirited 1930s painter Amrita Sher-Gil who died at age 28, the novel is a travelogue of a young Indian nurse traveling to Istanbul, Prague, Paris, Florence and London to uncover the mysterious death of a famous painter and the dangerous secrets she was hiding. A book launch and author’s talk take place at 6pm Tuesday, April 29 at Santa Catalina School (1500 Mark Thomas Drive, Monterey) to celebrate. The event includes performances by violinist Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu and cellist Tanya Tomkins of Sunkiss’d Mozart, who will debut their newly commissioned pieces inspired by the novel. The book and tickets to the event are available for purchase online and in local bookstores.

GREAT:

Good luck to the Sand City-based Sand City Volleyball Club 18 Gold girls team, which is headed to the national championship in Salt Lake City from April 25-27. It’s the fourth consecutive year this local team qualified for the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship, this time after a victory in Sacramento in March. It was a rough go leading up to the finals, with multiple players becoming ill the day before the competition, with one requiring an overnight visit to the emergency room, but they pulled together for three consecutive victories. “This team has shown great resilience,” Head Coach Kit Moore said. “I’m proud of how they came together and fought through adversity to achieve this goal.” Seven players hail from Salinas High School, Carmel High School, Palma School, Stevenson School, and another five from high schools in San Luis Obispo County.